Delhi’s private unaided schools have begun the admission cycle for Nursery, KG and Class 1 for the 2026–27 academic year, with application forms going live on December 4 and the process set to run until December 27.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued the overall schedule last week, directing every school to publish its admission criteria, point distribution and seat availability in advance on their websites as well as the DoE portal.
But even as schools uploaded their individual 100-point frameworks, proximity once again emerged as the most decisive factor in selections -while parents’ groups voiced concern about staggered disclosures, age-eligibility inconsistencies and the lack of a centralised dashboard.
Proximity dominates point systems
Across most major private schools, the highest weightage has been assigned to the distance between the applicant’s home and the school. Institutions have continued their longstanding practice of prioritising neighbourhood access well above other parameters such as sibling preference, alumni status, gender considerations or staff affiliation.
At Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, proximity accounts for 80 points out of the total 100. Siblings receive 10 points, girl or single-child applicants receive five and alumni or staff wards get another five. Principal Jyoti Arora was quoted by HT as saying, “Distance continues to carry the highest weightage, followed by sibling and alumni and staff links,” noting that the school aims to bolster gender equity and encourage families “to empower their daughters through quality education.”
Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh, has similarly placed neighbourhood proximity at the top. Principal Alka Kapur said the neighbourhood category carries maximum weightage because proximity ensures ease of access, safety and stronger community linkage for young learners. She added that sibling and alumni categories are weighted next since family association serves as “a significant indicator of continuity and engagement.”
Other well-known schools including Venkateshwar International School, The Shri Ram School and Sanskriti School have adopted comparable hierarchies in their 100-point matrices, according to HT.
Minority school applies faith-based criteria alongside proximity
St Michael’s Senior Secondary School has reportedly taken a markedly different approach by reserving 40 points for practising Christians. It assigns 30 points for neighbourhood distance, 20 points for alumni links and 10 points for siblings.
As a recognised Christian minority institution, the school requires both parents to be practising Christians to claim faith-based points and mandates that applicants demonstrate knowledge of “basic catechism” for verification. “Christian parents are expected to know basic catechism to prove that they are practising Christians,” the school states.
Parents frustrated over staggered disclosure and mixed age norms
While many schools uploaded their criteria swiftly, several had not yet published theirs, causing rolling uncertainty for families. The DoE’s November 22 directive specified when schools could begin publishing criteria but did not impose a deadline, leading parents to repeatedly check individual websites.
“This creates unnecessary friction for parents who must continually check separate school portals for information,” said Delhi School Parents Association president Aparajita Gautam, as quoted by HT. She argued that a DoE-managed single-window system would have prevented such confusion, noting that “the government should adopt a single-window system so points criteria and age norms for all schools are listed under one unified head.”
Gautam also pointed to inconsistencies in age requirements. Although the DoE has directed schools to use the 3+ eligibility norm aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, some institutions continue to list a minimum age of four for Nursery admissions. “This only compounds the confusion,” she said. Revised age norms and key deadlines parents must follow
The 2026–27 cycle marks the second year of Delhi’s NEP-aligned foundational stage age guidelines. According to norms published on edudel.nic.in, a child must be at least three years old but less than four years old for Nursery as on March 31, 2026.
For KG, the child must be at least four years old but less than five and for Class 1, the child must be at least five but less than six. Children already enrolled in Nursery or KG for 2025–26 will automatically progress to the next level and only new applicants must fall within the specified age ranges.
The DoE has also capped the registration fee at Rs 25 and prohibited the collection of capitation fees or mandatory prospectus charges.
Parents are required to follow a detailed timeline for admissions. Schools were expected to upload their admission criteria by November 28, 2025. Applications are available from December 4, 2025 and the final date for submission is December 27, 2025. Schools will publish the complete list of applicants on January 9, 2026, followed by the points allotted to each applicant on January 16.
The first admission list and waiting list will be released on January 23. A grievance and query window will remain open from January 24 to February 3, after which the second list will be issued on February 9. The entire admission process will close on March 19, 2026.
How the point system and draw of lots work
Every private unaided school must publish its selection criteria along with the points assigned to each category. Schools typically consider factors such as distance from home to school, whether a sibling is currently enrolled, whether a parent is an alumnus and whether the applicant is a ward of staff. Proximity continues to be the category attracting the highest weightage.
Once applications are received, schools are required to upload a complete list of all applicants before the selection process begins. They must then upload the points awarded to each child prior to announcing any list of admissions.
If more applicants score identical points than the number of seats available, the school must conduct a draw of lots. This draw must be video-recorded, carried out in the presence of parents and announced at least two days in advance.
Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 25 per cent of seats remain reserved for children from Economically Weaker Sections, Disadvantaged Groups and for Children with Disabilities. These seats are filled through a separate centralised mechanism.
Documents parents must prepare
The DoE advises parents to keep all required documents ready before starting the application process. These include the birth certificate of the child for age verification, a valid residence proof such as a ration card, electricity or water bill, Aadhaar card, voter ID or passport and identity proof for both parents.
Recent photographs of the child and parents must also be provided. Parents should additionally furnish proof if a sibling is studying in the same school, as well as documentation if the parent is a school alumnus. For applications under the reserved category for Children with Disabilities, a government-issued disability certificate is required.
How to apply: Online or offline
Parents can submit applications either through the official websites of individual schools or via offline forms, depending on each school’s policy. After filling in all required details, parents must upload or attach supporting documents, pay the permitted Rs 25 registration fee and save the acknowledgement receipt for later verification.
They are then expected to monitor the school’s website regularly for the publication of applicant lists, the points awarded and the first and second selection lists, along with dates for document verification and admission formalities.
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